Book holder and marker



J. A. BEIDLER. BOOK HOLDER AND MARKER.

No. 397,890. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. BEIDLER. BOOK HOLDER AND MARKER.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

IJVVEJVTOR.

WITNESSES o6 COM N. FEIERS. Phalo-Lilhngnpher. Wuhinginn ac.

PATENT JACOB A. BEIDLER, OF LANARK, ILLINOIS.

BOOK HOLDER AND MARKER= SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,890, dated. February 19, 1889. Application filed April 9, 1838. serial No. 270,148. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB A. BEIDLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lanark, in the county of Carroll and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Book Holders and Markers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a handy adjunct for users of books for keeping open a book at any desired place, and at the same time marking that place without interfering with the ready turning of its leaves.

The invention consists of a resilient sinuous device adapted to be extended to span the back of an open book from edge to edge and hold the book in such open state as to overlie the leaves, and at the same time serve to mark a desired place in the book and on any part of the page, the device in its simplest and most convenient and inexpensive form being constructed of spring-wire bent in and out or sinuousl y, in order to possess the capability of extension to adapt it to books of different width, and yet .retain sufficient force to securely hold the book open.

In the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device applied to an open book; and Figs. 2, 3, and show in perspective some of the various forms in which myinvention may be constructed. l ig. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred form, and Fig. 0 is an edge elevation of the form shown in Fig. 5, both these last two views showing the device extended.

As here shown, I construct my device of a wire, a, having a number of sinuosities, I), joined by coils c and terminating in fingers d, which are elevated above and overlie the body of the device, or, technically, return. The ends or fingers d (I are finished off in any suitable manner-as by coiling-to form a smooth finish that will not be caught by the leaves of the book, and which, while holding down the leaves, will permit them to be easily disengaged for turning.

The central bend may be larger than the others, as shown in Fig. 2, to embrace the back of the book, or even to straddle it.

In normal position (of disuse) the limbs of the bends may be parallel, as in Figs. 2 and 4; or they may be convergent, as in Fig. 3.

The coils a may be used as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6; or they may be omitted, as shown in Fig. i. I prefer to use them, for with them a holder of given resilience may be made from smaller wire than would be necessary for the same resilience in a holder without them, and it is desirable to make the holder as light as possible. 7

The form shown in Fig. 3 will give the greatest extensibility in a given length of wire.

The fingers d not only serve to hold down the leaves, but they may be moved so as to mark any particular line on a page.

I do not limit my invent-ion to any particular size or form of sinuosities.

The fingers cl may stand in planes substantially at right angles to the limbs, as shown. These fingers may be covered with any suitable substancesuch as rubber tubing 6, Figs. 5 and 6-to prevent abrasion or cutting of the book; and so, also, to prevent abrasion of the book and of articles of furniture upon which the device, applied to a book, may be used as, for example, the music-desk of a piano or organ-the holder may be provided with a cord, f, or bits of ribbon g, or other non-abrasive material applied in or to its coils or limbs. The cord f may subserve the further purpose of limiting the extensibility of the holder to within its resiliency, and thus preventing unduly straining the spring, though such precaution is not absolutely necessary.

What I claim is 1. A book-holder constructed of resilient material or substance arranged in. sinuous form and longitudinally extensible, so as to provide for adaptation to books of different widths, substantially as described.

2. A sinuous wire having its ends (I elevated above the body and returned upon and over the body, substantially as described, and adapted for use as a book-holder.

3. A book-holder constructed of a longitudinally-extensible sinuous wire, having its ends returned and elevated above the body of the wire, and rendered smooth to permit the leaves to be moved freely from under them, substantially as described.

IOC

4. A book-holder constructed of wire bent back and forth upon itself with integral coils interposed and extensible longitudinally, to adapt it to books of different widths, and terminating in leaf-engaging lingers, substantially as described.

5. A book-holder constructed of wire having sil'mosities, the middle one of which is larger thanthe others, to engage the hack 0.1. a book, and extensible lengthwise to lit books of diil'erent width, and leaf-engaging terminals, substantially as described.

(3. A book holder and marker constructed of resilient material or substance arranged in sinuous form, and thereby adapted to be ex: tended lengthwise to be applied to books of different widths, and having fingers rising therefrom at each end in planes substantially at right angles to its sinuosities, substantially as described.

7. A book holder and marker constructed of resilient material or substance arranged in sinuous form and extensible lengthwise to fit books of different widths, and provided with loosely-applied non-abrading substance or material, sulmtantially as described.

8. A l ol(-l1ohler constructed of coiled resil' ient material or substance arranged in sinuous Form and provided with a cord or other non-alirading nlaterial or substance recved through its coils, substantially as described.

9. A book holder and marker constructed of resilient material or substancearranged in sinuous form and provided with end fingers returned upon and over the body of the holder, and having non-abrading material or substance applied thereto, substantially as des cr ib e d In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this (ith day of April, A. D. 1888.

JACOB A. l-EEIDLER.

W itnesscs:

B. F. BROWN,

l1). LOWMAN. 

